ARMENIAN PRIME MINISTER CONDEMNS VIOLENCE AGAINST JOURNALISTS
Armenpress
YEREVAN, JULY 24, ARMENPRESS: Armenian prime minister Andranik
Margarian condemned last Saturday violence against journalists
describing it as ‘one of the shadow sides of Armenia’s democratic
advance.”
Speaking to reporters after the extraordinary conference of his
Republican Party Margarian said a recent arson attack on the editorial
office of the weekly Chorrord Iskhanutyun must be condemned and
repetitions of such incidents must be ruled out.
Margarian also called on journalists not to politicize the case of
Arman Babajanian, the chief editor of the Yerevan Zhamanak daily
who is facing trial on charges of forging papers to dodge obligatory
military service.
Asked whether his party is going to cooperate with the Prosperous
Armenia party of Gagik Tsarukian the prime minister said it was early
to speak about it as the Prosperous Armenia was not yet an established
party. He said his party will work to maintain and increase the
number of seats it has in the parliament and also its leverages in
the government.

IT IS NOT TOO LATE TO DISMISS SERGE SARGSYAN
Lragir.am
24 July 06
Immediately after the extraordinary assembly of the Republican Party
the wish to leave the hall occurred. Not only because it was hot
in the hall but also to go out to the street to see what changed
in the country after the extraordinary gathering of the Republican
Party. It turned out that nothing had changed. The same heat. If
the assembly changed anything, it changed only for the Republican
or at best the government. And their behavior shows that something
did change for these two subjects. For the public, the Republican
Party and government are the same. However, this is not very close
to being true and this is the reason for holding an assembly when
it is 40 degrees outside. The Republicans have never made so much
effort, and it means that they have appeared in a new situation,
for throughout the gathering Andranik Margaryan and Tigran Torosyan
assured their fellow party members that the Republican will go on,
that there are no controversies between the old (Andranik Margaryan
and administrative-criminal community) and new (Serge Sargsyan +
a new “consignment” of the administrative-criminal community) members.
All this shows the contrary. In fact, there are no controversies,
but there are concerns that they will occur. Moreover, Andranik
Margaryan and Tigran Torosyan are worried that their controversies
as such may not manage to occur and something may happen to the party
that the wife of the founder of the Republican Party of Armenia Ashot
Navasardyan does not expect – Andranik Margaryan may be ousted from the
leadership of the party. And there are all the preconditions. After
the expansion of the council of the Republican Party the pro-Serge
Sargsyan members of the council are equal. In number, whereas by their
influence they exceed the team of Andranik Margaryan. For instance,
Karen Karapetyan and Harutiun Pambukyan officially lead the sphere of
economic and political activities of the Republican. And they became
Republicans only several days ago, they came with Serge Sargsyan.
Could Andranik Margaryan and Tigran Torosyan prevent the fast
expansion of influence of the defense minister? Maybe they could,
but it would require sacrifices in power. Whereas in the perception
of these people the political party is a means to remain in power and
they would not dream even in their nightmares that they can sacrifice
power for the party. Meanwhile, they are ready to sacrifice the party
for power. However, Margaryan and Torosyan now understand that by
losing the party they lose power. In other words, in this case they
do not sacrifice their status in the party for the sake of power,
the political party is taken away from them. There are no guarantees
that in this case Margaryan and Torosyan may benefit in 2007 more
than an ordinary Republican who wonders for what merits a two-day-old
Republican becomes a party leader. It is natural that the old leaders
of the Republican Party must assure their ordinary members that the
Republican will remain faithful to the tradition. There is nothing
else they can do, like a man who travels at night and shouts out of
fear not to be afraid. Andranik Margaryan and Tigran Torosyan are
now busy shouting.
And they have every reason to shout, in other words, to be afraid.
After all the Republican elite realizes that it is not realistic to
rely on their team any more. The prime minister and the speaker of the
National Assembly must remember how Hakob Hakobyan named Republican
Galust Sahakyan as an opponent to Republican Tigran Torosyan. By the
way, Hakob Hakobyan became Republican after Serge Sargsyan. For Galust
Sahakyan, for instance, it does not matter who will guarantee the
post of deputy mayor of his son, Andranik Margaryan or Serge Sargsyan.
On top of all, Andranik Margaryan cannot rely on Tigran Torosyan either
when on the very first day Torosyan hurried to assure Serge Sargsyan,
the newly elected chair of the Council of the Republican Party that
they do not have controversies, and such rumors are nonsense. He
hurried because there is no time, Serge Sargsyan announces that he
ahs launched a process which will produce its first fruits in three
or four months. And it can be seen with the naked eye that Tigran
Torosyan needs these fruits more than Andranik Margaryan. Therefore,
he needs to find a place in this process. There is no time for the
political party. The Republican Party is neither the first nor the
last. Loyalty has never done good to anyone in Armenia. Moreover,
“Betraying in time is not betrayal but far-sightedness,” the personage
of Garage said. The heroes of our time are not worse. Besides, once
Andranik Margaryan found a common language with Serge Sargsyan six
months ago and did not regret. Why shouldn’t Tigran Torosyan try as
well? Simply, there is a nuance. If six years ago the “language”
Andranik Margaryan found decided the fate of the Republican Party,
six years later the “language” found by Torosyan will decide the fate
of Margaryan. Especially that Serge Sargsyan is good at languages,
after all he is a philologist.
HAKOB BADALYAN

FOR WHO AND AGAINST WHO SERGE SARGSYAN WILL BE DOING EVERYTHING?
Lragir.am
24 July 06
“Dear Republicans, our cooperation went a long way, and despite the
tenacious provocations we managed to distinguish the primary from the
secondary, we managed to ignore minor personal issues and successfully
solve the problems we had set before us. However, the challenges our
state and people are facing require more.” These lines are from the
speech Serge Sargsyan delivered at the end of the conference of the
Republican Party on July 22. Their main and only peculiarity is that
these lines were uttered during the first 35 seconds of the first
speech of Serge Sargsyan as a Republican. It was the first speech of
the newly elected chair of the Council of the Republican Party, which
was the last in the extraordinary conference of the Republican Party.
Certainly, we do not think that the extraordinary conference of the
Republican Party is a show, but perhaps it is interesting to note
that a rule of shows concerns every public event in which speeches
are made. The participants of the show dispute over the right for
the last speech because they say the audience remembers the last
performance the best. And perhaps after the conference closed with
the speech of Serge Sargsyan the members of the party memorized the
speech of the newly elected deputy leader of the party Serge Sargsyan
rather than the speech of the old leader of the party Andranik
Margaryan. And though we do not compare this situation with a show,
there is an interesting nuance about the speeches of the old leader
of the Republican and his new vice, nevertheless. Serge Sargsyan, who
had just been elected chair of the Council of the Republican Party,
spoke about the political developments, activity, plans and priorities
of the party more than the leader Andranik Margaryan. In other words,
Serge Sargsyan said what the Republicans must do and why.
“Cooperation is good but we have to come together. The healthy and
able forces of the republic have to come together, and I think that by
this conference we give a start to this process. Depending on whether
we succeed or fail I think we can renovate this idea or discredit
it. We have determined members of the party, we have a powerful army
of supporters, we have political will and resolve to lead our country
forward, raise it to a new level. I am sure that we will solve this
problem successfully. At least, I will do everything for us to win,”
the newly elected chair of the Council of the Republican Party Serge
Sargsyan concluded his first speech.
It certainly contains a great number of questions the answers to which
do have importance for the country. Particularly, can the minister
announcing about the unification of healthy forces see healthy forces
in the opposition and is he ready to ally with them?
“I can see healthy forces everywhere. Armenia does not have a problem
of healthy forces. Armenia has a problem with uniting these forces,”
says Serge Sargsyan. In this case, it is more than surprising that the
minister of defense, speaking about an alliance of healthy forces,
becomes a member of the Republican Party. Perhaps he thinks that
healthy forces are only in the Republican Party. In this case, why
does he announce that he can see healthy forces everywhere? If he
can see them everywhere, why did he go to the Republican? Perhaps the
most convenient characterization of someone who aspires to uniting all
the healthy forces of the nation would be an independent non-partisan
figure who is not confined to the party’s interests.
Otherwise, it is difficult to understand for whose victory Serge
Sargsyan will be doing “everything”, the Republican Party or the
healthy forces of everywhere? And again a question occurs, if healthy
forces, why inside the Republican Party?
HAKOB BADALYAN

REPUBLICAN PARTY TO SHELTER MAYOR
Lragir.am
24 July 06
The mayor of Yerevan Yervand Zakharyan is one of the new Republicans.
He was even elected member of the Council of the Republican Party.
Our source informed that Yervand Zakharyan was “invited” to the
Republican Party to get protection. The point is that the Audit
Service of the President audited privatization of land in Yerevan
and revealed serious breaches and a damage of millions of dollars
to the state budget. The procuracy suited an action. And now Serge
Sargsyan and the Republican elite have told him that he can be safe
only in the Republican Party. Subsequently, Yervand Zakharyan found
a devotee of the Nzhdehist ideology in him.

DEFENSE MINISTER ATTACKS
Lragir.am
24 July 06
“I think the best election ever held in the Republic will be in 2007,”
stated Serge Sargsyan, the newly elected chair of the Council for
the Republican Party Serge Sargsyan July 22. The journalists were
naturally interested to know why Serge Sargsyan thinks so.
“Because I will be seeking for it, and there is every reason for it,”
answered Serge Sargsyan. If the minister announces that it will be the
best election “because he will be seeking for it”, it is interesting
to know whether he did not seek for it in previous elections or he
did not seek for it enough so the previous elections were not the
best. The reporter of the Lragir asked this question to the minister
of defense and received an insulting answer.
“Of course, I sought for it. Unfortunately, some people who are
doing this job do not understand Armenian well. The best means better
than all the others, in other words, there were good elections, and
this one will be the best. Because in every election the observers
reported that there was progress compared with the former elections,
but there were shortcomings as well,” explained Serge Sargsyan in
Armenia. We are grateful to him for this explanation, but there are
a number of other important things, which also need an explanation.
With our ability to understand Armenia, we are trying to reason like
the defense minister. Hence, if the best means better than all the
others, it means the election 2003 was also the best because there
was progress compared with the previous election. Consequently, the
election in 1999 was the best because there was progress compared with
1998 and so on. It turns out that all the elections in our Republic
were the best if we are guided by the logic of explanation given by
the defense minister. Everyone who accepts this logic let elect him
president first.

ATTORNEY GENERAL MADE UP HIS MIND
Lragir.am
24 July 06
The culminating political developments and developments inside the
government push their key actors to make up their minds. The Lragir
has learned that Aghvan Hovsepyan, the Attorney General of Armenia,
has finally made up his mind, and despite rumors he is not going
to join the Republican Party, which was expected in the context of
Serge Sargsyan’s membership to the Republican Party. In fact, the
Attorney General declined the offer to join the Republican-Serge
Sargsyan Alliance.

There is still a chance for reaching an agreement
Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006
In this politically peaceful summer period when no one seems to
have any desire to work the political forces in the parliament are
engaged in heated debates of the CoE Venice Commission’s opinion on
the amendments to the Electoral Code.
The fifth session of these discussions will be held today. National
Assembly’ s ARF faction leader Hrayr Karapetian presents his opinion
on the results of the previous discussions.
The CoE Venice Commission’s comments on the amendments to the Electoral
Code are divided into three main groups. According to Karapetian,
the first group includes amendments that the VC welcomes considering
that they contribute to free and fair elections.
These amendments include the proposal to place the ballots into
envelopes, proposals about making the punitive measures in case of
electoral violations stricter in the Criminal Code. There are some
amendments for which the VC has requested further clarifications from
the National Assembly.
The Commission has noted that some of its proposals were not included
into the draft amendments and believes these proposals should be
discussed as well. For instance, finger inking, mobile ballot boxes,
video taping in the voting site and the issue of people who cannot
vote at the voting site should also be further discussed.
“Our factions believes that all proposals related to the amendment
of the Electoral Code that will contribute to the transparency of
electoral mechanisms and democratic elections should be adopted. The
question is that there are issues that should be further discussed
based on the specific situation in Armenia. We will discuss these
issues with the Venice Commission again.
For instance, the issue of mobile ballot boxes. We have not
included this in the amendments since it can result in a number
of violations. Meanwhile, the Venice Commission believes that the
absence of mobile ballot boxes will deprive people who cannot vote
at the voting site of their voters’ rights.
The finger inking also may arise some problems taking into
consideration our people’s psychology. The question of video taping
is under discussion. If we manage to find some mechanisms to insure
technically the implementation of these proposals while at the same
time ensuring the secrecy of the vote, this also can be applied,”
Karapetian noted.
As to developing a mechanism for recalling electoral commission
members, the National Unity party insists on this proposal. Meanwhile,
the Venice Commission believes this proposal should be excluded. “We
believe that the recalling mechanism should be excluded. The opposition
believes that the recalling mechanism can be used under certain
time frames.
This issue is also under discussion. Overall, we hope that it will be
possible to reach a point when all political forces will come to an
agreement, of course going for compromises on certain issues so that
both the pro-governmental and opposition political forces sign under
the amendments to the Electoral Code to be discussed in the National
Assembly. There are still chances that we will manage to do this,”
Karapetian noted.
When the political forces come to a final agreement the questions
related to the amendments will be discussed with representatives of
the Venice Commission in mid August.
As to the proportion of majoritarian and proportional votes, ARF has
always supported 100% proportional vote. However, Karapetian noted, if
we see today that there is no agreement on this issue today, we will
try to shift the proportion between majoritarian and proportional
votes in favor of the proportional – 75% proportional and 25%
majoritarian. This issue should be decided based on a consensus.
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

No panic among Lebanese Armenians as situation escalates
Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006
By Karine Mangasarian
The military operation unleashed by Israel against Lebanon has already
killed and wounded hundreds. Speaking to Yerkir, Shahan Gantaharian,
the editor-in-chief of the Armenian-language Aztag Daily published
in Beirut, said that despite the dangerous situation the Lebanese
Armenians do not plan to flee the country.
Gantaharian: The Israeli army continues its military operation in the
south causing thousands to flee. The only way to leave Lebanon is the
Syrian border but it is not safe either. The Armenian community too
has found itself in a desperate state but they have not intention
to leave the country.
Many refuges have found refuge in Armenian-populated areas, including
Beirut, Burj Hamoud and Antelias. The Lebanon Central Committee of
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation has set up a body to coordinate
the assistance to refugees. The body, in cooperation with the Burj
Hamoud municipality, is engaged in delivering aid.
The main task of the body is to set up contacts with Armenian charity
organizations. The ARF Lebanon CC has already issued a statement
condemning the Israeli violence against innocent civilians. Q: The
Armenian government has decided to aid the victims of the military
actions. Could you say where the Armenian government could be helpful?
Gantaharian: If the situation escalates there would be a need for
medical assistance and food. Currently, there is no such danger
although the power blackouts become more frequent, the gas prices
have soared, there is shortage of food but the government has announce
the stocks would last for several months.
To avoid panic in the community, all the Armenian organizations and
clubs are engaged in the ARF preparatory works. If there is need, we
can also coordinate our efforts with those of the Armenian government.
Gantaharian also informed that taking into account the immense
interest of the international community and Armenian communities
worldwide, the Aztag has placed relevant information on its website
at
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

A few lessons of the Lebanon crisis in the context of Karabagh
Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006
By Gayane Movsessian
The tragic developments in Lebanon obviously show the helplessness
of international organizations and the international community in
general in countering global crises including those that arise in
the course of regional conflicts.
After the collapse of the Soviet Union a situation emerged whereby
international mechanisms were distorted and no new system had been
formed. In this situation a number of regional conflicts reached a
deadlock, as experts note. This does not refer only to the Middle
East. It refers to Iraq, Iran, China and a number of other countries.
There are varying opinions as to who is to blame for the war
in Lebanon. And no one knows what to do about it. Therefore,
the statements made by the international community are rather
declarative. The aggravation of the situation in the Middle East showed
to what attempts of distorting solution of conflicts and unbalanced
approach to such solutions can lead.
Particularly, Israel’s unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip in
2005 and from the Southern territories of Lebanon in 2000 did not
lead to the settlement of the Arab-Israeli conflict but to a new
phase in the confrontation, which as experts estimate, can push back
the situation in the Middle East for twenty years.
When observing the developments in the Middle East one cannot help
drawing parallels with the Karabagh conflict, more specifically, with
the scheme of the settlement recently publicized by the international
mediators.
The situation in Lebanon confirms our repeatedly voiced concern over
the proposal of withdrawal of Armenian troops from the territories
adjacent to Nagorno Karabagh and postponement of determination of
Nagorno Karabagh’s legal status.
The mediators do not want to see these concerns and are again trying
to distort the settlement process. The leaders of 9 countries stressed
the necessity of “speedy agreement over the main principles of peaceful
settlement of the Karabagh conflict this year”. They called on Armenia
and Azerbaijan to exert political will to reach an agreement and
prepare their peoples for peace rather than for war.
This has been repeated for many times over many years. What is
the result? Are the people in Azerbaijan being prepared for
peace? Meanwhile, the governments in Armenia and Nagorno Karabagh
Republic consistently convince their populations of the necessity for
a compromise. It should be noted that we are talking about mutual
compromise. However, no one wants to notice this difference in the
behavior of Yerevan and Baku.
The mediators prefer to stick to the balanced approach: in any
situation both sides are either right or wrong. In such a situation,
why would the Armenian public trust the fair approach of the
international mediators and the possibility of implementation of a
peace agreement? The public in Karabagh cannot even be mentioned since
the three “co-judges” of the OSCE Minsk Group seem to have completely
forgotten about one of the true and internationally recognized sides
of the conflict – Nagorno Karabagh.
Meanwhile, it was Karabagh that suffered most because of Azerbaijan’s
aggression in 1991-1994. It is Karabagh that is the least interested
in restarting the war as opposed to Azerbaijan.
It is Karabagh that is ready to support any of the mediators’
initiatives aimed at consolidation of the ceasefire regime and
conflict settlement. ” Nagorno Karabagh has always supported the
peaceful settlement of the conflict and is ready to exert all efforts
to reach an arrangement for sustainable peace in the region.
Unfortunately, not everything depends on the mediators. Taking into
consideration Azerbaijan’s destructive position that denies any contact
with Nagorno Karabagh, an acceptable and fair settlement seems to
be very hard to achieve. The President of the Russian Federation
correctly pointed out that Russia is not planning to impose any
settlement on the conflicting sides and that compromise should be
achieved by the peoples.
Taking into consideration the Russian Federation’s readiness to be a
guarantor for the implementation of the reached agreement we would
like to remind once again that only with participation of legally
elected authorities of Nagorno Karabagh Republic, the main party
of the conflict that suffered most, is achievement of a settlement
related to the future of our people possible,” Foreign Minister of
Nagorno Karabagh Republic Georgi Petrossian stated commenting on the
statement made by G-9 leaders.
Azerbaijan was alerted by the statement of the G-9 leaders stressing
the importance of preparing peoples for peace rather than for war. “If
the statements that other solutions to the conflict are possible are
referred to by this call, it is necessary to take into consideration
the peculiarities of Azerbaijan’s situation.
We are not in a position to afford conducting negotiations for the sake
of it,” Head of the Information Department of Azerbaijan’s Foreign
Ministry Tair Tagizade stated. Having rejected any settlement based
on mutual consensus Baku is still hoping to get everything with the
assistance of the mediators.
Azerbaijan’s hopes lie with the new American Co-Chair Mathew Bryza. The
latter, according to the Azeri Foreign Minister Elmar Mamedyarov,
is planning to visit Yerevan and Baku on July 31 – August 1 with the
purpose to discuss ” some new elements” of the Karabagh settlement.
According to Mamedyarov, if the Azeri side sees an opportunity for
progress in Bryza’s proposals it might agree for a meeting of the
Armenian and Azeri foreign ministers.
Meanwhile, the Armenian President Robert Kocharian and his Azeri
counterpart Ilham Aliyev will have an opportunity to meet the Russian
President Vladimir Putin in the framework of the informal CIS summit.
One can hardly expect that Russia will come up with any new initiatives
on Karabagh settlement during this meeting. However, we believe that
the Russian president sends some messages to the Armenian and Azeri
presidents, messages that are not intended for publicity.
The problem is that Azerbaijan’s denial of Nagorno Karabagh’s right for
self-determination as well as the continuing anti-Armenian propaganda
make it impossible to for such meetings and messages to achieve any
progress in the settlement process.

The challenge of long-term growth
Yerkir.am
July 21, 2006
By Mher Ohanian
The current developments in the world economy indicate that hi-tech
economies based on knowledge are the key components of the geopolitical
status of the leading countries.
For countries with changes systems, such as Armenia, this should also
be a model, otherwise, Armenia could become non-competitive and rely
only on delivering qualified human resources to developed countries.
Experts of large donors, and first of all those of the World Bank,
continue to search ways to help the country. Several new researches
have been done that deal with the economic growth based on knowledge
and novelty. Armenia, landlocked and with low income but with educated
population, has no other alternative than to rely on knowledge-based
economy.
WB experts said in their report that “the quality and vitality
of Armenia’s economic recovering remain a concern,” as it is not
clear what the sources for midterm and long-term growth would be. In
the decades to come, Armenia could use its competitive advantages –
educated labor force and Diaspora – but it requires formation of such
institutional environment that would encourage a creation, spreading
and activity of the current knowledge.
The paradox of economic growth
The WB experts have rightly noted that in the past decades the
Armenian economy has been growing due to fields with limited employment
opportunities, such as agriculture, energy sector and construction.
Meanwhile, the industry that has the greatest potential has retreated.
Especially the fields that require skills and the science-consuming
fields have lost ground, while the growth has been registered in fields
like jewelry processing, food processing, construction and metallurgy.
The export structure also comes to prove the economy weakness. Exports
of raw materials, precious metals and gems as well as processed food
remain the main items on the export list of the country. One of the
main paradoxes of the economic growth is that the incomes of the
population grow non-proportionally. The corruption level also remains
too high.
The paradox of the economic growth comes to a question: could the
economic growth of the recent years ensure a long-term development
or would it retard and then speaking of new cycles of economic would
be useless?